Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire
| Ravensthorpe | |
| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
 Guilsborough Road, Ravensthorpe | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP670703 |
| Location: | 52°19’37"N, 1°1’6"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 646 (2011) |
| Post town: | Northampton |
| Postcode: | NN6 |
| Dialling code: | 01604 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Northamptonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Daventry |
Ravensthorpe is a village in Northamptonshire, midway between Northampton and Rugby. The M1 motorway is six miles to the west. Its name means 'outlying farm/settlement of Hrafn';[1] 'Hrafn' being a personal name, but which also means 'raven', and so also possibly 'raven's village'.
The village has a single shop, a pub (the Chequers), a playing field, a small park and a woodland maintained by the Woodland Trust.
The parish's population, including Coton, was recorded as 646 at the 2011 census.
History
Iron Age and Roman pottery have been found around the village, indicating a possible settlement.[2] By the time of the Domesday Book, the village is recorded.[3]
The parish church, St Denys, was built in the 13th Century on a site believed to have been in use since at least the Domesday Book.[4][5]
Mother Rhodes, who lived just outside the village, was alleged to be a witch during the Northamptonshire Witch Trials. During the trial, testimonies against Joan Vaughn and Agnes Brown alleged that they were seen with other 'witches', Katherine Gardiner and Joan Lucus, visiting Mother Rhodes, who was found dying according to The Witches of Northamptonshire: "It was credthly reported that some fort-night before their apprehension, this Agnes Browne, one Ratherine Gardiner, and one Ioane Lucas, all birds of a winge, and all abyding in the Towne of Gilsborough did ride one night to a place (not aboue a mile off) called Rauenstrop, all vpon a Sowes backe, to sée one mother Rhoades, an old Witch that dwelt there, but before they came to her house the old Witch died, and in her last cast cried out, that there were three of her old friends coming to sée her, but they came too late, Howbeit shee would méete with them in another place within a month after. And thus much concerning Agnes Browne, and her daughter".[6][7][8][9] Vaughn and Brown were executed on 22 July 1612.[7][8]
In popular culture
A village of the same name is present in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla, although the fictionalised Ravensthorpe is in a different location of 'Ledecestrescire' (adapted from the name of Leicestershire) which features prominently as the protagonist's home. According to the game's narrative director, Darby McDevitt, the fictional version was created without knowledge of the real location, and a Reddit user made the connection on 13 November. McDevitt claimed the development team only found out about the similarity a few months prior.[10][11]
The Lord of the Manor, Charles Reeve, declared a week-long commemorative event for the release of an in-game Yuletide festival, coinciding with local pub The Chequers releasing a special takeaway menu.[12] By comparing in-game maps with actual geography, the real-life village is immediate proximity of the fictional one. Perhaps, although it is unconfirmed by the development team, the fictional Ravensthorpe's history and location could be based on the real-life city of Northampton, approximately ten miles away on the north shore of the River Nene.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire) |
References
- ↑ "Ravensthorpe". University of Nottingham. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Northamptonshire/Ravensthorpe. "Hrafn's outlying farm/settlement"
- ↑ An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire. 3. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1981. pp. 168–169. ISBN 0117009008. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/northants/vol3/pp168-169.
- ↑ "The Very Early Years - East Haddon in pre-Domesday times". East Haddon History Society. http://www.ehhs.org.uk/page175.html.
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, 1961; 1973 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09632-3page 384
- ↑ St Denys, Ravensthorpe: Uplands Group Churches
- ↑ The Witches of Northamptonshire. London: Tho: Purfoot. 1612. OCLC 316394491. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A17030.0001.001/1:2?rgn=div1;view=fulltext.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Renton, Ethel; Renton, Eleanor (1929). Records Of Guilsborough, Nortoft And Hollowell, Northamptonshire. Kettering, T.B. Hart, Ltd.. OCLC 762222738.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hillery, Megan (4 November 2020). "The Northamptonshire Witch Trials: The terrible tales of five people who were hanged on the same day for witchcraft in 1612". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/northamptonshire-witch-trials-terrible-tales-five-people-who-were-hanged-same-day-witchcraft-1612-3024234.
- ↑ McBride, Paula (27 October 2019). "Witchcraft in the East Midlands 1517-1642". Midland History 44 (2): 222–237. doi:10.1080/0047729X.2019.1667109. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0047729X.2019.1667109. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ↑ Phillips, Tom (13 November 2020). "Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Ravensthorpe is a real place, and a complete coincidence". Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-11-13-assassins-creed-valhallas-ravensthorpe-is-a-real-place-and-a-complete-coincidence.
- ↑ Purslow, Matt (13 November 2020). "Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Main Location Is a Huge Historical Coincidence". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-valhalla-ravensthorpe-real-place.
- ↑ Maguid, Youssef (17 December 2020). "Assassin's Creed Valhalla – Real-Life Ravensthorpe Celebrates With Themed Pub Menu". Ubisoft. https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/5dt6YD6ZvtdqNkwA9OHU4b/assassins-creed-valhalla-reallife-ravensthorpe-celebrates-with-themed-pub-menu.